Conventional solder or brazing compositions do not wet or bond metal to monolithic carbon and graphite. Accordingly, it is not presently possible to braze a flexible graphite sheet to another flexible graphite sheet or to braze an electrode of graphite or carbon to an electrical conductor of copper. Instead tamped mechanical connections are currently used to attach a conventional metal conductor to a carbon or graphite electrode to complete an electrical circuit. Electrodes of carbon or graphite are typically used as the terminals for power supplies and electromotive devices. Brazed or soldered connections would inherently be superior both mechanically and electrically.
Several ternary brazing alloys have been disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,515,545 and 3,565,591 as useful to form brazed joints with graphite but are limited to high temperature applications and to a limited group of refractory metals. More specifically, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,515,545 and 3,565,591 respectively teach a brazing alloy of titanium, zirconium and germanium for brazing graphite to a refractory metal at high temperature. U.S. Pat. No. 3,673,038 also teaches a brazing alloy composition of titanium-chromium and vanadium to braze graphite to a refractory material at high temperature.